Visit - Santa Monica Pier

The drive into Los Angeles from San Jose, CA is about five hours on Interstate 5 South. I finally bought myself a car and don’t have to rely on friends for a ride anymore! I now have a Toyota Corolla and the gas is amazing in this vehicle. The trick is the leave the Bay Area at 5AM to avoid any traffic driving into L.A. If you are not in the L.A. area by 10AM, you will be in bumper to bumper traffic. The traffic in SoCal (Southern Cali.) is horrendous.

Use your GPS and direct it toward the Santa Monica Pier. You’re going to merge onto Highway 1 at some point during this drive and the views are amazing. This is what California is all about. The reason why it is also expensive to live in but worth it! It’s the palm trees you see everywhere while driving and the endless beaches that are filled with people. Who doesn’t want a piece of the California tranquility?

You can park anywhere along the coast and start a bonfire with friends. The Pacific Ocean is a dark navy-blue color and it’s just steps away. Be sure to bring coins for parking. You’ll notice that the Santa Monica Pier has a huge lot for parking. There is a boardwalk with rides and a Ferris Wheel for your pleasure. I like to walk on the concrete made path that cuts across the sand, because people ride their bicycles through it. I just soak up the sun and see what crowds of people are walking too. I mean, who doesn’t want to see beautiful women in bikinis.

The cool thing about Santa Monica is its beach sands. You walk damn near half a football length just to touch or get into the water. The sand looks endless.

Santa Monica’s neighbor is Venice Beach. It’s about 15 minutes walking laterally, and you do not want to miss it. It’s full of shops and beachgoers. Image walking on the same beach fronts as Rapper Tupac once did.